Sinister Supermarket

With a scream of agony, the Water ghost was instantly burned into a charred corpse.

The shadowy figure crushed the Water ghost's skull, and the headless body fell to the ground, dismembered and charred into chunks of blackened remains.

The shadow turned to the ghost driver and said coldly, "Open the door."

The ghost driver, showing a hint of fear, opened the back door of the bus.

Without giving John a chance to speak, the shadow pulled him off the bus.

It was only after the bus disappeared into the distance that John could see who the shadow was.

It was the customer from the second day at the Restaurant, the Burned ghost who had regained his memory thanks to the cocktail John had given him!

"You've got guts," the Burned ghost said, shedding the terrifying ghost aura from his body and speaking with a chilling tone.

John knew exactly what he was referring to and replied with a wry smile, "When you're under someone's roof, you don't have much choice. I made a mistake and was punished by the restaurant to go out and buy ingredients."

"If I don't complete the task, I'm as good as dead."

Despite his words, John was still shocked.

The conflict on the bus had ended with the Burned ghost crushing the Water ghost with one hand, silencing all the other ghosts on the bus with fear.

The Water ghost had been able to see through John's disguise, which meant he was no weakling, yet he stood no chance against the Burned ghost and was annihilated without the opportunity to fight back!

John didn't even dare to imagine the true strength of the Burned ghost.

"Anyway, thank you!" John expressed his sincere gratitude.

The Burned ghost didn't say much, but asked, "What do you need to buy?"

John handed over the list to the Burned ghost.

After reading it, the Burned ghost's eyes narrowed slightly.

"What's wrong?" John asked.

"The X ingredient, it's only sold at the Sinister Supermarket."

"That's exactly where I'm headed."

"The owner there isn't easy to deal with, and the X ingredient isn't just any ordinary item. I'm afraid you won't be able to buy it from him with just ghost Coins," the Burned ghost explained.

"If ghost Coins won't work, then what will?" John was taken aback.

The Burned ghost shook his head slightly: "That's for you to figure out."

He stepped aside and pointed down the street: "Walk 250 meters down this street, turn at the corner, and you'll find the Sinister Supermarket."

John knew that the Burned ghost couldn't be of much help with the ingredient shopping, but the fact that he had helped John out of a bind was already a rare kindness for a ghost to show to a human.

So, John thanked him once again.

"Your help brought back memories for me, and that's why I was willing to help you. What I want to make clear is that I don't like being in debt, especially to humans," the Burned ghost said indifferently.

John gave a slight smile: "Understood."

"Angel System: You have gained +10 fondness from the Burned ghost and received ghost Items—MythiCarn×2!"

"MythiCarn: An irresistible food for ghost pets, it holds a great allure for ghosts."

John remembered reading about this item in the library; it was a precious and expensive polymer from ancient Egypt, typically collected by humans as an antique.

Legend had it that the Egyptian pharaohs gained immortal power after consuming MythiCarn.

However, the records in these ancient books were heavily mythologized, and it was very likely that their effects were exaggerated.

After the Burned ghost left, John didn't dwell on the MythiCarn. He gathered his thoughts and headed down the street.

About five minutes later, after turning the corner, he indeed saw a large supermarket.

The desolate street was littered with flying newspapers.

All the shops were closed, except for this one supermarket that was open.

The supermarket seemed deserted, with a dim and eerie atmosphere that would make anyone hesitant to enter.

John, however, looked composed and took a step forward.

However, the moment he stepped into the supermarket, the system's voice echoed in his mind.

"Ding, passive quest triggered!"

"Detection of a hidden, fusible ghost pet in the host's vicinity. The host needs to fuse with the ghost pet within 24 hours."

"Host has automatically acquired the fusion ghost pet physique—Shadow Harmony Spirit Body!" (Capable of fusing with up to three A+ grade or lower ghost Items!)

"Upon completion of the reward, a level treasure chest will be immediately available!"

"Quest failure penalty: Confiscation of all ghost Items!"

"Passive quests can be triggered too?" John was taken aback.

He hadn't even properly stepped into the supermarket, and he already had two mandatory tasks!

The penalty was the confiscation of all ghost Items.

"Since the quest has already been triggered, there's no turning back now."

With that thought, John walked into the supermarket.

The business seemed to be struggling, certainly faring much worse than the Fierce ghost Restaurant, with goods piled high on the shelves and flies buzzing everywhere.

At the front desk, a middle-aged man lay in a wicker chair, clutching a bottle of liquor, thoroughly inebriated.

Was he human or a ghost?

John couldn't determine the middle-aged man's identity.

"Excuse me, I'd like to buy some ingredients."

The middle-aged man opened his eyes, glanced at John, and suddenly bellowed, "Filthy vermin, shed your ugly disguise and get out of my shop!"

John offered an awkward smile, suddenly feeling that the Raincoat of the Rainy Night Murderer was quite shoddy.

But having come this far, how could he leave so easily?

He took off the Raincoat of the Rainy Night Murderer and continued, "I'm just here to buy something and then I'll be on my way."

"See that empty spot on the shelf? If you utter one more useless word, your head will be hanging there!"

John frowned.

No wonder the Burned ghost said this shopkeeper was difficult to talk to.

This was beyond difficult; he treated customers as if they were his sworn enemies!

With such a business attitude, how could he possibly have any willing patrons?

John didn't leave.

The shopkeeper suddenly stood up.

At that moment, a middle-aged woman approached.

She grabbed a fruit knife from the table and plunged it straight into the shopkeeper's neck, and he slumped to the ground.

John jumped in shock.

Holy crap!

Such a dramatic start—what was the grievance here?

"Sorry about that, I'm the real owner here. This old fool had no manners and scared away who knows how many customers."